Chapter 117: Liu Qingxu’s Astonishment

The Black Dragon Squad was an elite unit of the Fierce Tiger Hall, and their strength was beyond doubt; all ten members possessed cultivation levels of at least the Third-Rank Martial Spirit. Yet, in front of Wu Tian, these ten men were nothing more than scum.

After piercing one man's heart, Wu Tian withdrew his Black Dragon Blade, channeled his true energy into it, and swung it at the remaining nine.

"Rising Winds and Scudding Clouds!"

With a thunderous roar, a violent hurricane formed by his true energy swept all nine men into its vortex.

*Ding!*

"Congratulations to player Wu Tian for killing the Black Tiger Squad of the Fierce Tiger Hall. Gained 20,000 experience points and 20,000 taels of silver."

The Black Tiger Squad was clearly less valuable than the Second Master of the Fierce Tiger Hall; killing them yielded only 20,000 experience points and no additional rewards. However, Wu Tian was already quite satisfied with the benefits he had obtained from the Second Master earlier.

By instantly killing the Second Master, he had obtained the "Mountain-Splitting Great Axe." While a low-grade Earth-tier weapon like the Mountain-Splitting Great Axe was trivial to Wu Tian, such a weapon could fetch a significant amount of silver on the market.

Furthermore, there was the Earth-tier forging material, the "Spirit Burst Stone." When Wu Tian saw the attributes of the Spirit Burst Stone, his eyes lit up.

Spirit Burst Stone: An Earth-tier forging material. It elevates the grade of a forged weapon, increases attack damage by 5%, increases attack speed by 5%, and when inlaid into a weapon, grants it the "Critical Strike" skill.

Remarkable. To allow a weapon to possess a critical strike skill—this Spirit Burst Stone was truly worthy of being an Earth-tier material. If inlaid into a weapon, it would undoubtedly greatly enhance the weapon's attributes.

Of course, what interested Wu Tian most was the triggering of a side quest: "King of Mercenaries."

Side Quest: King of Mercenaries (Completion: 0/5)
Time Limit: None
Requirements: Establish a mercenary group and become the strongest mercenary group on the Divine Dragon Continent.
Reward: Staged rewards. A reward will be granted for each stage completed, plus a system machine reward.

"The system is playing it mysterious, but this side quest is quite interesting. 'King of Mercenaries'—very well. When the opportunity arises, I will form a mercenary group just for fun. I wonder what kind of rewards I'll get after completing it. Based on the system's usual habits, the rewards definitely won't be bad!" Wu Tian felt a faint sense of anticipation.

After Wu Tian eliminated the Black Tiger Squad, Niu Wuji and the others walked over and said, "Boss, it is getting late. We should leave this place quickly. I don't really want to stay near this eerie Dark Swamp any longer."

Wu Tian nodded. "The mission is accomplished; it is time to head to the Imperial City."

With that, Wu Tian had Little Gold summon their mounts, and the group rode their Gale Wolves rapidly toward the Imperial City.

...

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Heaven-Rising Sect in the Imperial City, Liu Qingxu was in her room studying a cultivation technique when a knock came at the door.

"Come in," Liu Qingxu called out.

A disciple pushed the door open, holding a piece of paper in his hand.

"Xiao Long, what is the matter?" Liu Qingxu asked, setting aside her manual.

"Master, this is a bounty notice I saw when I returned from my mission outside. Please, take a look." The disciple handed the paper to Liu Qingxu.

Liu Qingxu took the paper skeptically. As she scanned the contents of the bounty, her eyes widened in shock.

"This is a bounty for Wu Tian, the first-place winner of the Heaven-Rising Sect's Pingyang City branch tournament!" Liu Qingxu looked at the notice in astonishment and quickly finished reading it. "Caused chaos in New Leaf City, killed multiple city guards, and now wanted on a nationwide bounty? The reward is actually ten thousand taels of gold! Xiao Long, are you certain this bounty is real?"

"It is absolutely true. Ten thousand taels of gold is no small sum. Many mercenary groups, adventure squads, and members of other sects are out searching for Wu Tian," the disciple replied with a nod.

"Wu Tian is merely a disciple of our Heaven-Rising Sect. When did he offend the Lord of New Leaf City? And does Wu Tian even possess the strength to warrant a bounty of ten thousand taels of gold?" Liu Qingxu frowned, looking completely baffled.

"Master, on my way back, I heard some rumors. It seems Wu Tian killed the six garrison generals of New Leaf City, and the entire city guard force failed to capture him. It is said that those six generals were all above the Fifth-Rank Martial Spirit. Since Wu Tian was capable of killing them, that is why the bounty is so high!" Xiao Long said earnestly.

Liu Qingxu gasped, her mind momentarily blank. She had witnessed Wu Tian’s prowess firsthand—he was indeed extraordinary—but according to her observations, he did not possess the level of cultivation required to slay the six garrison generals of New Leaf City. What she did not know, however, was that he had not possessed it then, but had attained it since.

"To think such a thing happened... It seems I underestimated this young man, Wu Tian," Liu Qingxu murmured, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Master, there is one more thing. It is said that someone is secretly offering a bounty for Wu Tian's head through the Mercenary Union, and the Fierce Tiger Hall has accepted the contract. Perhaps they are currently hunting him down as well."

"To think even that is happening. Do you know who is secretly offering the bounty?" Liu Qingxu asked, surprised.

"That, I fear, only the leader of the Fierce Tiger Hall would know. With a nationwide manhunt by New Leaf City in front and the Fierce Tiger Hall hunting him from behind, it seems the path ahead for this newcomer, who is about to join the headquarters, will be extremely treacherous."

Liu Qingxu furrowed her brows, pondered for a moment, and said, "Wu Tian will be under my guidance once he joins the headquarters. Since he is my person, I naturally will not let him be attacked from all sides. I will handle the matter of the New Leaf City bounty. As for the Fierce Tiger Hall, you go and negotiate with them!"

"Master, no problem. I will certainly fulfill the task you have entrusted to me. However, there is one thing I cannot understand: why are you so concerned about a newcomer from Pingyang City? Although he is indeed talented, Pingyang City is, after all, a tiny town. He is merely a genius of Pingyang City; compared to the geniuses at our headquarters, he is far behind," Xiao Long asked, puzzled.

"Xiao Long, you did not accompany me to Pingyang City, so you did not see Wu Tian for yourself. You only know of him through my accounts, so your understanding of him is shallow. I dare to assert that this young man, Wu Tian, will definitely be extraordinary in the future!" A sharp glint flashed in Liu Qingxu’s eyes. She believed her judgment of character was sound, and she was certain she would not be mistaken about him.

"Very well. Once Wu Tian arrives at the Imperial City, you will naturally come into contact with him. Now, I will go handle the bounty matter immediately. You go and negotiate with the Fierce Tiger Hall. If there are any developments, report back to me at once, understood?"

"Yes, Master." Xiao Long bowed respectfully.

However, after Xiao Long exited the room, a gloomy look crossed his eyes, and his fists clenched tightly. "Wu Tian, what kind of person are you, exactly? You haven't even arrived at the headquarters yet, and you have already captured the Master's attention to such a degree? Hmph, very well. Once you arrive, I shall see just how capable you truly are!"